Remembering back, ten + years. This time of year, 11.03 am, most likely to have got up at first light, eightish, and lit a fire. On goes the big kettle and off to check the horses. Of course someone would stay in the camp to mind the children.
Major moves, as in moving the mares to another bit of grazing, or packing up to shift camp would be done after tea and breakfast. Not a good time of year to move very far as the days are so short, and the weather can be tuff. If we were to move it's likely that most of the packing up is done the evening before.
Its a good time of year to have a stack of wood ready to burn. If there is none and the weather is bad, o my hardship. There has to be fuel if you have no motorised transport as the kids can't be cold and it takes a while to go fetch a horse, yoke up and trot on down the shop for a bale of briquettes(luxury) or go wooding. So when wood stocks are running low, time to get more, in case of....
I remember 1999 my daughter was born in January. What a time of year to have a baby in a wagon. The queeny stove had to be kept ticking over all night, then the wagon was cozy cozy. A generous local man delivered a load of turf and blocks for us, that was great, and it made life so good, always having plenty to burn. That was in Templetoughy, Tipperary.
No major tasks were attempted this time of year. The weekly shop, cooking, washing and feeding horses. The horses were ussually fed some hard feed this time of year, and if we didn't move then hay as well, although that was rare. The wagon stove wasn't always kept burning, and only on really wet or extra cold days did the kids stay in. It was too small inside, and toys had small appeal compared to the big outdoors and real life activities.
If it was heavy rain in the morning, then tea and toast, of porrige would be made on the stove in the wagon. This would make the wagon very hot and clostraphobic. Whilst we were totally horse drawn, there woulb be no extra space to carry a shelter for a kitchen, but I one year my parents( on visiting us) had the brain wave of bringing a fishing umberella, and this would be stacked in the ground on one side of the fire. YES Cooking was possible.